Search - Steppenwolf :: Hour of the Wolf

Hour Of The Wolf (An Unsung Classic)

Doc Rock | 02/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released in 1975, "Hour Of The Wolf", wasn't one of Steppenwolf's best selling albums. The reason being, it didn't feature a classic, signiture hit single, and the band's sound had changed from a gritty, hard-blues-rock to a more polished hard-pop-rock style. I'm not saying "Hour Of The Wolf", wasn't a good album, it has it's moments. Of the 8 songs featured on this release, there is only one clinker, "Annie, Annie Over", written by Alan O'Day who also wrote "Train Of Thought", that was featured on Steppenwolf's follow up album "Skullduggery". O'Day also wrote Helen Reddy's number 1 hit "Angie Baby', and scored a late 70's pop hit for himself, "Undercover Angel". While Alan O'Day is certainly a talented songwriter, musician, his style of writing just doesn't work for Steppenwolf. Now, let's look at the positive side of "Hour Of The Wolf". "Caroline (Are You Ready For The Outlaw World)", written by Mars Bonfire (who also wrote the Steppenwolf classic, "Born To Be Wild"), was released as a single but got no promotion whatsoever from the band's record label (Epic Records), and died a quick death. With no support for "Caroline...", (or the album) from Epic Records, "Hour Of The Wolf", lingered in Billboard's top 200. The one song that did get some airplay on the FM stations was "Mr. Penny Pincher", that remains to this day as a favorite by the hard core Wolf fans. Other highlights on this fine release include, "Hard Rock Road", "Just For Tonight", "Someone Told A Lie", and "Another's Lifetime". While it may not have sold a million copies, "Hour Of The Wolf", is a very good album that just didn't get the record company promotion it deserved."

A Must For Real Fans Of The Wolf

sam the man | 05/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Hour Of The Wolf", is one of Steppenwolf's best albums ever and has since become a collector's item since it's now out of print. It rocks from start to finish with some blistering tunes, "Hard Rock Road", "Two For The Love Of One", and "Mr. Penny Pincher", just to name a few. There really isn't one bad song on the album. It is a bit different sounding than their earlier albums which had a bluesy sound. "Hour Of The Wolf", has more of a straight ahead rock sound which was the sound of the day when it was released in 1975. Joining original members John Kay, drummer Jerry Edmonton, and longtime bassist George Biondo on this fine release are new keyboardist Andy Chapin and guitarist Bobby Cochran, who had joined the band the previous year. Both had a lot to do with the band's fresh new sound. Bobby Cochran had proven himself to be an outstanding guitarist and songwriter on Steppenwolf's previous album "Slow Flux", and new keyboardist Andy Chapin was a much better keyboardist and over all musician than Goldy McJohn. Not enough credit has been given to Andy Chapin which is a shame because he played a major role in bringing that added punch, fresh new sound to the band. If one of the Steppenwolf greatest hits collections is the only cd you have by the band in your collection...do yourself a favor and check out "Hour Of The Wolf", you won't be sorry."